The Introduction To Grace Christian Fellowships
Welcome…we first of all want to express our greetings and blessings to you as you begin what may be the greatest journey and service for our Lord Jesus Christ and His church you have yet experienced! We are hoping that your level of interest at this point is the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The great movement of God through Grace Christian Fellowships is designed and called of God to capture the entire world for Jesus Christ. Our ultimate goal is to win every soul on the planet to Jesus and to disciple them in Christ. If the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are more than just words on a page to you and in your heart, and you want to be a part of a world-changing ministry for Christ, you are on the right track! In this introductory packet, you are receiving some essential tools and information about GCF. Our prayer is that you will take this very seriously and will sense the call and direction of God in these last days to join with us in reaching the world for Christ.
Please spend time considering our GCF Vision and Mission. These are center stage to all that we are and do. The book “The Forgotten Commandment” is our gift to you. This book provides a real “how to” study guide of Biblical principles of how we can become and continue to be the most loving people possible. All GCF Churches have this Vision and Mission as their foundation. Please know that you can contact anyone of us from the GCF International Mission Board for more information. We also hope to see you soon as you take advantage of any of the training opportunities offered to you through GCF.
In this brief introduction, we want to share a little history, our definition of a church, and the three paths you might follow in becoming a part of this great movement.
A Little History
Pastor Paul Evans, being trained as a Southern Baptist Pastor and being involved in non-denominational “Charismatic-type” churches for over 30 years had a heart to develop a church model that was balanced in theology and practice, along with placing priority on what Jesus did and commanded (The Great Commandment and The Great Commission). In January of 2004, he started the first Grace Christian Fellowship in Melbourne Florida. He utilized many strong biblical principles that he had been developing for many years of how to build healthy and meaningful relationships. The first Grace Christian Fellowship Church began and grew quickly and demonstrated healthy signs of a great church. Realizing that God had a call and plan to do so much more than just having one church, the burden for sharing this message and methodology around the world was birthed. A missionary outreach began with a fresh goal to gather indigenous pastors from many nations who felt the call of God to do church planting among their own people that would embrace the GCF vision and mission. God opened many doors and with very little financial resources, over 1200 new GCF churches have been planted as of 2010! What began as a thought to start one new church has now grown into a movement of God that desires every person and every nation on earth to be brought into a loving and meaningful relationship with Christ and with one another! It is our hope that the Lord will use Grace Christian Fellowships to fulfill His desire to bring all people to faith in Jesus Christ also to change nations with the Gospel.
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The GCF Definition of a Church
It is interesting to ask people what they think a church is. There are as many answers to that question as there are people who are asked. The way you define a church will set into place what you want and are trying to build. The truth of the matter is, for a pastor this is the first question to clearly answer.
For Grace Christian Fellowships, our answers must always be biblically based and clearly seen in the scriptures. So, what is the definition of a church according to what Jesus had to say in the scriptures? … He told us that wherever 2 or 3 people are gathered in His name He is right there with them. We believe that in this verse we discover the fundamental definition of what is a real church.
Grace Christian Fellowships define a church in this way:
“A church is where 2 or 3 people are gathered in the name of Christ to share Christ among themselves and to share Christ with the world around them.”
A GCF church may have 2 or 3 people or it may have thousands. It may have buildings galore and programs for everyone, or it may be simply meeting in the shade of a tree or in a family’s home. The important matter is that we share the same Vision and Mission and our hearts are determined to share Christ with one another and with the world around us!
In addition, it is important to know that Grace Christian Fellowships are a network of Churches sharing the same Vision and Mission, not a denomination. Although there is structure provided for guidance, direction, and support, there is no intention nor is there anything in place to seek to control. Each GCF Church is autonomous. Their only connection together is the passion and love we have for one another and the Vision and Mission that the Lord has given to us. We also share 10% of our offerings dedicated for reaching the world for Christ and supporting all of our mission activities. We do believe that fulfilling the Great Commandment in loving God by truly loving one another is something that must be taught and practiced on a regular basis. The book that Pastor Paul wrote, “The Forgotten Commandment” is a tool used by all GCF Churches and leaders to assist in learning and experiencing more fully how to actually love one another like Jesus has loved us.
The Essential Doctrinal Beliefs of GCF Churches
1. The Bible is the word of God and is to be the final source of authority in all matters of faith and practice.
2 Tim. 3:14-16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:19-21; Hebrews 1:1-2; Romans 16:25-26; Luke 21:33; John 16:12-15
2. There is only one God who is revealed in a triune nature, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. God can be intimately known by everyone but cannot be fully known by anyone.
Genesis 1:1 “Elohim” the plural name for God; John 1:1ff; John 14:7-11; Check a Bible concordance to find personal attributes for all three members of the Godhead; The concept of God being divine nature vs. human nature- we can not comprehend “divine nature” it is totally different.
3. On the cross, Jesus died for all of our sins, sicknesses, sufferings and shame, He then rose bodily from the grave and He is available today to provide forgiveness, healing, deliverance and restoration according to His time and will for all men.
Isaiah 53; Matthew 8:17; Luke 4:18-19;
4. God the Holy Spirit enters man’s heart at the moment of salvation but there are many experiences through the filling of the Holy Spirit yet to occur in the believer’s life. Also the gifts of the Holy Spirit should have open and free expression in the context of order and edification of others.
Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:20-22; 5:1-5; John 1:10-12; 3:3-8; Ephesians 5:17-21; 1 Cor. 12:4ff
5. Man is a sinner by nature and by choice and is in need of God’s work of salvation only found through faith in Jesus Christ to be in right relationship with God. This work of salvation is God’s work in man and not man’s work for God. Man cannot add to or take away from God’s work in his heart.
Romans 5:12ff; Ephesians 2:1-10
6. Learning to love God and other people are paramount in the Christian walk and will be stimulated and maintained through regular Bible study, prayer, worship, stewardship, evangelism, Christian service and fellowship. These are essential Christian disciplines for each believer’s life. Man’s spiritual growth and development is a cooperative effort between himself and God, which is basically, man properly responding to God’s continual work in his heart.
Matthew 22:34-40; John 15:12-17; 1 Cor. 13:1-8; 1 Peter 4:8
7. Jesus Christ will return a second time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When He returns, He will rapture His church, judge the living and the dead and establish His eternal kingdom.
Matthew 24 and 25; 1 Cor. 15: 20-24, 50-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-5:2; 2 Thess. 1:7ff; 2 Tim. 4:1; Hebrews 9:27-28; 2 Peter 3:1-13; Jude 14-15
Three Possible Paths to Choose From In Order To Join The GCF Movement If you are Interested in becoming a GCF Pastor
Path One would involve someone already fully trained and experienced in the ministry who might already have a church they are pastoring. Their desire is to be a part of the Grace Christian Fellowship Network and movement of God. All of these GCF churches are willing to seriously make the Great Commandment their vision and the Great Commission their mission. In other words, they sense direction from the Lord to incorporate these two matters into the primary fabric of their church.
For example, everything that we do or are considering to do in our church we ask the question, “How does this relate to our Vision and Mission?” Because we are not a denomination, every church is free to develop and follow the form of church government, form of worship services, and programs for all ministries in their church as they feel direction from the Lord. But our connection is the shared commitment we have to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
Along with that, we are committed to at least the same basic fundamental Christian doctrines as outlined in this packet of information and in addition, we share a tithe from our churches to support the worldwide missionary effort. We believe in doing this we will be leaning in the direction to seek to fulfill what we call the Great Call of Jesus in John 17 to “be one as He and the Father are one,” we refer to this as the Great Call of Unity without sacrificing any personal convictions.
You will be required to attend one of the 5-day “Grace Experiences.” This is a full training experience of what GCF Churches are all about. In addition, you are required to have ongoing and regular contact with the GCF International Mission Board along with taking advantage of any other training that will be offered through the GCF School of Ministry.
Path Two would involve someone who may have little or no training or experience in the ministry. You would come and be apart of a well-established GCF church fellowship for a season. You would gain valuable experience and learn while serving in the fellowship. During this time you would attend the 5-day “Grace Experience” as well as follow the formal course of study through the GCF School of Ministry, which includes preparation with on-the-job experiences.
Following this path, you will need to find a job, and be self supported during this learning process. We need to understand how “to make tents” like the Apostle Paul. Even though our ministry is becoming quite large, the vast majority of GCF pastors and leaders are bi-vocational, and still work a full time job in the local community. When the time is right, you will be sent out to begin a new GCF church. In addition to having the experience and tools you need to be successful, you will continue to receive prayer, fellowship and encouragement among other GCF Pastors. The new church plant may be near to the fellowship where the training occurred (preferred), or it may be in a distant place, as the Lord leads. When we start new churches locally, there may be several “seed families” that will go forth from the current congregation to begin the new church plant.
Path Three is somewhat a mixture of the above two. Although an individual may already have formal training and experiences in the ministry, they may still come to be with us for a season to “be captured by our vision.” After a time, they would go and plant a new church. We personally prefer the second and third track because it allows the time necessary for us to spend considerable time with new GCF Pastors to impart the vision and the anointing for the work they will do. There will also be the requirement to attend the 5-day Grace Experience” as well as take several courses in the GCF School of Ministry. Involvement and participation in the local ministry of the GCF where you are in training will be expected along with a submitted spirit to the local GCF Pastor there.
The Basic Outline Of The Pastoral/Leadership Training Conference That We Call The Grace Experience
Introduction and Overview: There will be teaching and practical exercises along with us sharing our lives together. There will be lots of information about starting a healthy new church but also we will experience what it really means to love one another in order to know by experience how to begin a healthy church. We will consider a Vision, a Mission, the structure, and the strategy for winning our world to Christ. I would like for us to consider the difference between embracing a vision and being captured by one.
I. Understanding the Purpose of God
This becomes the framework for all we are and do. This provides the definition and direction to everything we know and provides the meaning and all the answers to life. Consider the teaching from the scriptures…
II. Three Primary Passages of Scripture and Sharing the Vision and Mission
Matthew 22:34-40
Matthew 18:18-20
John 17:20-26
III. Consideration of 2 Basic Philosophies in the Lord’s Work
Building a kingdom
Building The Kingdom
IV. Consideration of the 3 Possible Foundations of a Church or Ministry
Program-based which includes and focuses on performance
Personality-based which focuses on a person
Relational-based which focuses on relationships
V. The GCF Biblical Definition of a Genuine Church
VI. The Doctrine of GCF Churches
VII. The Understanding of the GCF Network
Explain what is necessary to become a GCF church including the “Grace” strategy
Gather a core group
Realize the Vision and the Mission together
Allow the church to grow in your particular cultural setting
Continue to advance and experience the Vision and the Mission
Establish a new GCF Church every 2 years
VIII. What it means to be a GCF Pastor/Leader
To be born-again
To be Spirit-filled
To be humble and loving servant
To be a person of faith and prayer
To be a continuing student of the Word of God
To be accountable: convictable and correctable
To be a person of integrity
To be committed to the GCF Vision, Mission, doctrine, giving, and leadership over you. Look at the lines of accountability.
IX. Teaching the Book
X. Time-Line Experience
XI. Final Consideration and Possible Commitment to GCF
Purpose:
Provide leadership and accountability in order to maintain integrity of lifestyle and implementation of the vision and model of Grace Christian Fellowship Churches
Through the many years of Christian ministry recorded through history, we have never seen such great potential for what a church and God’s people can be and accomplish! As you know, many Pastors are disappointed and some are disillusioned from the problems, politics, and just plain carnality that goes on in churches today from those who claim to be strong bible-based, Spirit-filled, believers.
We do believe that we have received God’s plan and understand God’s purpose to begin and build up churches that can be powerful, healthy, and real, having results that will produce fresh and wonderful “New Testament” like churches that will make a difference in these last days for our Lord Jesus Christ!
We hope this provides some insight for you and as we are praying, for the Lord to draw men and women from the north, south, east, and west, to join us in an effort to change our world for Jesus, we pray that the Lord will speak clearly to your heart concerning these matters.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.
